As many of you are aware there have been three Harlequin Ducks along the Antelope Island causeway for many weeks now – two females and one male. These ducks are extremely rare in Utah as there’s only been a handful of sightings of the species in our state over the years. These three ducks have been enjoyed by bird lovers and others at the first bridge on the causeway for about six weeks this early winter. They were quite approachable by people and were a delight to observe and photograph.
According to reports, all three ducks are now dead – “harvested” by hunters. Here’s a link to a very enlightening (in more ways than one) discussion of the reported incident on a hunting forum. Killing these rare ducks along the causeway is apparently perfectly legal. Whether or not it is ethical is very much open to question – including by many in the hunting community.
Harlequin Duck. Photo taken on 10/30/11 at first bridge along causeway
Female Harlequin Duck – photo taken on 11/17/2011 at first bridge along causeway
Male Harlequin Duck coming into breeding plumage – photo taken on 11/17/2011 at first bridge along causeway
Though I’m not a hunter I’ve been an avid supporter of hunting for many years – including extolling the positive effects the practice has had on wildlife populations to my high school zoology and biology classes for 33 years. Should it turn out that the person reporting the killings of these ducks has been less than truthful and the birds turn up again in the future I will report it on this blog.
Otherwise, my attitudes regarding hunting will undergo some serious re-evaluation. Either way I strongly believe that allowing hunting along the causeway is inappropriate, dangerous and counterproductive to the goals of both Antelope Island State Park and Davis County (which actually owns the causeway).
Ron
Ron,
Every spring 100s of folks from all over America travel to Yellowstone to watch Harlequin duck during their breeding season. Its a wonderful treat. I cant imagine anyone killing one. Killing just for fun. There is something really wrong with that. Its one of the great sicknesses of our culture. Real Tears
I am so saddened by this. I’m glad you were able to capture a few photos while the ducks were alive. Hopefully we can make some progress on banning hunting on the causeway, so that more people can enjoy these wonderful birds.
Thanks Carl. I’m absolutely with you on ending hunting on the causeway, I know some of the “good people” you’re talking about and I’m well aware of your collective efforts. As I write this the thought goes through my head that all this sounds like a vendetta of sorts against all hunters and hunting in general. For me that’s not the case. I suspect (hope) that the majority of hunters are as embarrassed by this “alleged” incident and others like it as I am about unethical bird photographers. And there’s more of them than there should be, that’s for sure!
Great pics, Ron. That male almost made it to adult plumage. Whether they were shot or not, it’s sad that they’re gone, as they were beautiful birds.
We’re really pushing hard to end hunting along the causeway, and I’m glad you’re with us on that. We’ve got some pretty good people interested in this, and soon we will try and make some changes.
Anonymous, I disagree with your statement that there’s “still no evidence that the birds were shot” though I will agree that the evidence that we have may not be conclusive.
Here’s what I’m aware of: a), one person on a hunting forum claims the birds were shot and that he knows who did it and that this person is a member of the same forum, b), after about 6 weeks of continual presence the birds are suddenly gone, c), killing these rare birds is obviously something many hunters (though not all) would happily do if given the opportunity, based on the comments of other hunters in that thread, d), a friend of mine and I saw hunters putting in a boat at the first bridge on the causeway (where these birds almost always hung out) very early on the morning after the last day these ducks were reportedly seen.
I sincerely hope these birds were not shot but strongly doubt it. If they were to turn up again I’d report it here with glee. And since, as you point out, the evidence is not absolutely conclusive I have edited the title and some of the text of my post to make it less absolute. Thanks for your input.
I agree that hunting should not be allowed on the causeway for safety reasons, but FWIW, theres still no evidence that the birds were shot. The only person who claims to know that they were shot on that hunter forum is the same one making those unfounded accusations on the birding lists. See https://twitter.com/#!/piranga to make the connection.
Thanks Elephant’s Child. Technically though, these ducks aren’t “endangered” as there are relatively good numbers of them in western Canada and Alaska. But Utah is way out of their normal range so they certainly are extremely rare here and many, many folks became very attached to these three birds. The fact that hunting is allowed on the Antelope Island causeway has been a boiler waiting to explode for a long time. My hope is that hunting will be banned there for a variety of reasons – among them the safety of people traveling the narrow causeway and the fact that the causeway is perhaps Utah’s prime area for unusual birds and is a birding mecca.
When endangered species can be killed in the name of sport/fun, then a re-think of the legality is seriously needed. I am not in favour of hunting anyway, and tragedies like this one re-inforce my position. Culling can sometimes be necessary when populations get out of control – but that is a whole new can of beans. And I have heard the arguments for culling people on similar grounds. Sorry. Climbing down from the soap box.
Love your photos of these beautiful birds. Thank you.
This is a travesty.